Blogs
Blogs are essentially online journals created by individuals to report on specific parts of their lives or a specific topic. Blogs have become prevalent in everything from personal lives to sports to television and have even began to find a place in the newsrooms of today. It was only a matter of time that such a powerful tool could be adapted for use in a school district or classroom setting.
The versatility of blogs allow them to be used in a variety of settings. One of the most basic uses for a blog is as an online version of a newsletter. For example, an administrator can create a blog with the purpose of informing parents of important dates, assemblies, etc. throughout the school year. Another excellent subject would be a blog highlighting the achievements of classes or individual students. Either blog allows parents to easily keep up on the state of the school and the excellence the students are striving for in the school.
Blogs in the classroom can be very effective if the proper monitoring and security measures are implemented. Blogs, by nature, are designed to be viewed by the general public. Many allow comments to be posted without authorization of the owner of the blog. Due to the open nature of a blog, the students and their entries must be protected from both the general public and, in some cases, each other. Simple security settings, which can be setup before the students begin using it, are very simple to setup. The teacher will need to enable the setting to approve each post. This allows the teacher to monitor the activity on the blog to ensure each post is on topic and prevents the general public from communicating with the students. Some blog sites, edublogs for example, will allow you to student accounts for each class. This allows the teacher to give students their own account with a generic username and password and allows for easy monitoring of student activity/progress via the administration interface for the blog.
Students can greatly benefit through the use of blogs. Today's students have many responsibilities which they must meet in order to be successful in their high school careers. Allowing students to hand in assignments via a blog gives them the flexibility to work when they can fit it into their schedule. It also allows students to collaborate and share their thoughts on a specific text or question. When a teacher uses anonymous accounts and combines this with the flexibility it gives the students to respond when they have time, it can create incredible discussions both online and in class. This can help to drive instruction and engage the students both in and out of the classroom.
Blogs
Blogs are essentially online journals created by individuals to report on specific parts of their lives or a specific topic. Blogs have become prevalent in everything from personal lives to sports to television and have even began to find a place in the newsrooms of today. It was only a matter of time that such a powerful tool could be adapted for use in a school district or classroom setting.
The versatility of blogs allow them to be used in a variety of settings. One of the most basic uses for a blog is as an online version of a newsletter. For example, an administrator can create a blog with the purpose of informing parents of important dates, assemblies, etc. throughout the school year. Another excellent subject would be a blog highlighting the achievements of classes or individual students. Either blog allows parents to easily keep up on the state of the school and the excellence the students are striving for in the school.
Blogs in the classroom can be very effective if the proper monitoring and security measures are implemented. Blogs, by nature, are designed to be viewed by the general public. Many allow comments to be posted without authorization of the owner of the blog. Due to the open nature of a blog, the students and their entries must be protected from both the general public and, in some cases, each other. Simple security settings, which can be setup before the students begin using it, are very simple to setup. The teacher will need to enable the setting to approve each post. This allows the teacher to monitor the activity on the blog to ensure each post is on topic and prevents the general public from communicating with the students. Some blog sites, edublogs for example, will allow you to student accounts for each class. This allows the teacher to give students their own account with a generic username and password and allows for easy monitoring of student activity/progress via the administration interface for the blog.
Students can greatly benefit through the use of blogs. Today's students have many responsibilities which they must meet in order to be successful in their high school careers. Allowing students to hand in assignments via a blog gives them the flexibility to work when they can fit it into their schedule. It also allows students to collaborate and share their thoughts on a specific text or question. When a teacher uses anonymous accounts and combines this with the flexibility it gives the students to respond when they have time, it can create incredible discussions both online and in class. This can help to drive instruction and engage the students both in and out of the classroom.